Why is My Vision Blurred Underwater?

Any time you jump into a swimming pool and open your eyes underwater, you will notice that your vision is blurry. Many people choose to wear goggles or keep their eyes closed underwater. It may be helpful to understand why your vision is blurry underwater. Prescription swim goggles are a great solution for swimmers who need vision correction and want to see clearly while swimming. 

Why Does Vision Get Blurred Underwater?

Anytime you can see anything is because of how light travels and bends. Light travels through the air and bends when they travel between two mediums. The water has the same refractive index as your eye when you are underwater. This means that there is not a lot of room for the light to bend. This stops your eye from focusing, and everything is blurry as a result. The light reaches the retina of your eye before it can bend and become a focused image. It is the same concept as having the camera too close to your face. There is not enough room for the image to focus.

Can Prescription Swim Goggles Help?

Both regular swim goggles and prescription swim goggles can help remove the blurriness when underwater. Googles can help you see clearly underwater because they correct the refraction of light. Goggles create a pocket of air around your eyes to allow the light to refract correctly, which helps you see clearly.

Who Needs Prescription Swim Goggles?

While non-prescription swim goggles can help remove blurry vision when underwater, some individuals need prescription swim goggles. Anyone that requires vision correction outside of the water may need prescription goggles. If you wear contacts or glasses, you should consider prescription glasses. If you have an astigmatism, you may want to consider prescription goggles. When someone has astigmatism, they may be farsighted and nearsighted. Prescription goggles can help with this vision problem.

How Do I Know Which Prescription Swim Goggles to Get?

There are a number of considerations when determining which prescription swim goggles to purchase. First, you must make decisions about the lens and the frames, just as you do with glasses. Next, you can find racing and recreational styles of goggles. For example, if you are an open water swimmer, a racing or competitive swimmer, or you prefer to do laps, you should look for racing goggles. They typically have features like anti-fog, UV protection, and different nose pieces.

Can I Get My Exact Prescription in My Swim Goggles?

While you may be able to get a close match to your prescription, it may not be precisely the same. Typically, prescription goggles come with lenses that are ready-made in various strengths, called diopters or step diopters. Think of the same concept as reading glasses that you can purchase in a pharmacy. Typically, these work well enough. You can buy custom-made prescription goggles if you have an incredibly specific prescription that requires custom-made goggles. You can find some brands of goggles that provide a separate lens that you can insert into your goggles.

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